Monthly Archives: October 2011

Don Giovanni in HD

Written by Neil Kurtzman | 29th October 2011

Tweet Mozart’s iconic masterpiece received a completely satisfying performance this afternoon. Every part of it was A level or above. The new production of the opera was staged by British theater director Micheal Grandage. The sets and costumes were by Paule Constable. What was most remarkable about the production was that it was traditional. The action was…

Institute of Medicine Report on Essential Health Benefits

Written by Neil Kurtzman | 26th October 2011

Tweet The Oct 20, 2011 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine contains a summary of the report of the IOM mentioned with the above title. The sixth and final of their recommendations is very interesting: To ensure that the EHB-defined packages remain affordable and sustainable, the secretary should develop a strategy, in collaboration with others, for…

Vaccinating Boys for HPV

Written by Neil Kurtzman | 25th October 2011

Tweet As almost everyone more sentient than a pillow must now know, a federal advisory panel recommended that all boys be vaccinated against human papilloma virus. Thus the government recommends that, over time, the entire US population be immunized against this threat. I’ll have a detailed presentation up about this and a related topic before long. But for now…

Cell Phones and Brain Tumors

Written by Neil Kurtzman | 21st October 2011

Tweet A new study in the British Medical Journal concludes: In this update of a large nationwide cohort study of mobile phone use, there were no increased risks of tumours of the central nervous system, providing little evidence for a causal association. This has resulted in a sandstorm of criticism of the work. In general,…

Why the Baseball Playoffs are an Elaborate Coin Toss

Written by Neil Kurtzman | 20th October 2011

Tweet Consider this: According to Elias, out of the 52 best-of-seven series in baseball history to be tied 2-2 after four games, as this one was, the winner of Game 5 went on to win the series 36 times, or 69 percent of the time… The author of this insight got paid for making it. A…

Anna Bolena in HD

Written by Neil Kurtzman | 15th October 2011

Tweet Anna Netrebko showed this afternoon why Donizetti’s first successful opera is still performed. Though premiered in 1830, it took Anna Bolena until this year to reach the Met. The opera was Donizetti’s 34th. What kept him in the game after going so long without a hit is mysterious. He shows once again that the greatest determinant…

About Neil Kurtzman

Neil A Kurtzman MD is the Grover E Murray Professor Emeritus and University Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Department of Internal Medicine at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Lubbock. He has combined careers in clinical medicine, education, basic research, and administration for more than 30 years.